DARNOLD WINS BACKUP JOB OVER LANCE
Sam Darnold has won the backup quarterback job in San Francisco, putting Trey Lance’s status with the 49ers in doubt less than three years after the team traded three first-round picks to draft him.
Coach Kyle Shanahan told flagship radio station KNBR on Wednesday that Darnold recently took control of the race to be Brock Purdy’s backup and that he told the quarterbacks about the decision on Tuesday night.
Lance didn’t take part in practice on Wednesday and the 49ers are considering all options, including a possible trade if a partner can be found. But Shanahan said he hopes to have Lance on the roster as the third quarterback when the season starts Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh.
“This isn’t a thing that we’re giving up on Trey,” Shanahan said. “This is more how Brock played in his seven games and that was decided before the season started. And then how good Sam’s looked. They both looked good but we do have to make a decision here. You only get so many reps at it. We feel starting about 10 days ago that Sam really separated himself and we have to keep it real that way.”
NFL Network first reported that Darnold had beaten out Lance for the backup job behind Brock Purdy.
Shanahan said the team gave Lance the day off Wednesday and that the
plan is for him to play after Purdy and Darnold in the exhibition finale on Friday.
“We had such a light practice today, watching how Trey was when we talked, we thought it was better to ‘Hey, take the day off, clear your head some, we’ll talk later in the afternoon and get you back in there tomorrow,’ ” Shanahan said.
If the 49ers move on from Lance before the start of his third season in the NFL, it would be a remarkable backtrack following the hefty investment
they made in hopes of Lance becoming a franchise quarterback.
San Francisco traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to Miami in 2021 to move up from No. 12 and draft the untested Lance third overall.
Lance started only 17 games at FCS-level North Dakota State before the Niners drafted him and he never got much of a chance to gain the experience he needed in the NFL.
He spent his rookie season
backing up Jimmy Garoppolo, starting just two games as an injury replacement and being hampered by a finger injury on his throwing hand.
Lance was handed the starting job last season, but that lasted less than five quarters as he broke his ankle early in Week 2 and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
“It’s been a tough road for him because the times he has gotten an opportunity, he ended up getting hurt
and missed that window,” Shanahan said. “Now he’s sitting in this position.”
If the Niners can find a trade partner for Lance, his four starts will be the fewest for any quarterback for the team that drafted him in the top 5 in the common draft era. Jack Thompson started five games for Cincinnati after being taken third overall in 1979.
Stepping away from game
New York Jets wide receiver Corey Davis announced he is stepping away from football.
The 28-year-old Davis was entering his third season with the Jets after beginning his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 draft.
“I’ve been searching my heart for what to do,” Davis wrote on his Instagram page. “And I feel that stepping away from the game is the best path for me at this time.”
Notable
Randy Gradishar and
Steve McMichael, key members from dominant defenses in the 1970s and ’80s, and game-breaking AFL receiver Art Powell are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2023.
• Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Owner/General Manager Jerry Jones
said the club had no plans to sit the 24-year-old.
• New York Giants tight end Tommy Sweeney collapsed during practice from a “medical event” but was in “stable” condition after being carted away from the field, the club said.
• Saints tight end Jimmy Graham returned to practice for the first time since his arrest in the Los Angeles area last week following what team officials have described as a “medical episode.”
• Rookie QB C.J. Stroud
will start Houston’s final preseason game Sunday night at New Orleans.